To Fall into Shadow
by Avret
Summary: For every certain light of hope, there is someone on the precipice. Someone who stands on the knife edge, and only a single push may send them falling into despair. However, if these types of people can remain balanced, than their accomplishments are unrivaled... Rational!Naegi, AU(Beginning from School life). Different plot and universe from LiDD.
1. Entrance

To Fall into Shadow:

A/N: Italics are non-spoken words. Single quotes are Makoto's thoughts.

Chapter 1: Entrance:

*Start recording*

Send for the postmaster, Jin. We must get the letters to next year's group of prospects as soon as possible.

Are you certain? Have you decided about the...problematic one?

I have.

And?

We invite him.

Are you sure this is the correct move? Look at what he has done already! What if he endangers the remainder of the students?

What he has done already is precisely why I say to invite him. If his mind is nurtured, allowed to grow, who knows how great a force he could be for hope?

What you say is correct. However...I worry...

You have always worried, Jin. You have been worrying since the beginning of this enterprise. Perhaps it is time for us to begin taking risks.

But what of my daughter? Is she also to be sacrificed if things go wrong?

Kyouko? If it is necessary, then yes. None of us are important enough to warrant the loss of the light of hope.

If...if you think I must, then I shall. God help us all.

If we fail, there won't be a god left who can.

*End Recording*

A child, 14 years of age, sits in the center of a room, the door of which is unlocked but shut. His eyes are closed and one leg is folded over the other. He tilts his head, as if he is listening to something, and smiles slightly. In his hand lies an envelope that has been opened and resealed. Further down the hall in the same house, the child's parents are talking to each other. Their voices are both calm and at a normal volume, and any observer would have had to listen extremely carefully to catch the edge present in their voices.

"I'm sorry, Natsumi, but you must let him go. This could be the most important event in his childhood," says the child's father. His voice is sympathetic, but beneath that sympathy lies exasperation. He has had this argument many times before.

"I cannot. Who knows what kind of criminals might be at that mess of a school?" The child's mother, meanwhile, has a tone which blends fear for her son and concern. She does not understand why her husband is having such difficulty with this concept.

"Now, Natsumi, that just isn't fair. Hope's Peak Academy is one of the most illustrious schools on the main peninsula. They only accept the best of the best."

"Well, Hizashi, you've got that right. The Super High School Level Gambler is certainly the best in her field." The concern and fear in Natsumi's voice is now tempered with a bit of dry humor.

"One example does not define an entire class of students, Natsumi."

"Then how about some more? The mercenary? The otaku? There's even rumored to be a SDHS Greeter, for God's sake."

The argument continues for some time in this vein. After a few minutes of listening to this, the child straightens and stands, before tilting his head in thought.

'Is it yet time to give my opinion? Based on what I'm hearing, it's unlikely that waiting will help matters, and it is only a matter of time before they both become too set in their opinions to reach agreement. So be it, then.'

He straightens again, opening the door, and walks to the room where his parents are arguing. As he opens the door, both of them turn to him.

"May I, perhaps, interject? This does directly involve me, after all."

Both parents look at each other uncertainly, and the father nods.

"Sure, Makoto. We would be glad to hear your opinion."

"Thank you. Mother, I realize that you worry, and from your point of view, that worry may seem correct. However, remember: the school has been graduating classes for almost 75 years, and most every class has contained unsavory characters similar to or worse than those you have mentioned. However, the educations of the students never suffered for it. What makes you think this year is different?"

Natsumi looks uncertain, taking a few seconds to respond.

"75 years is not long enough to guarantee that education will not suffer. There could very well be larger problems this year."

"I was invited to this school for my skill with rationalism. Perhaps you should give as much trust to that skill as they do."

Natsumi winces, and Makoto seems uncertain, briefly thinking to himself about his next moves.

'That may have been a little bit too harsh. Time to provide a seeming compromise.'

"Mother, how about this: I will write to you once a week, attempting to mention anything which could be interpreted negatively. If you feel there exists a problem, then talk to the school about it, and use the letter as evidence. If the school refuses and the problem is actually serious, I will agree to leave at least briefly. Is this satisfactory?"

Natsumi closes her eyes briefly and nods. Hizashi merely stands there, surprised.

"And it seems I need say no more on this subject. Anyway, I have finished packing. Father, when will we be leaving?"

"In about half an hour."

Makoto nods and returns to his room. A few minutes later, he returns with his bags, and the family sets off.

*Scene Break*

Makoto stands before the imposing doors of Hope's Peak academy as his family drives away, their car moving almost silently on the asphalt. He would have preferred them to be able to help him unpack, but the acceptance letter did specify that students were to be without family from the moment they entered, barring students who had relatives in the faculty.

The time is now 7:15 am, approximately 45 minutes before orientation. Makoto raises his hand to the gates, and knocks once, sharply. He waits a few seconds, examining his surroundings, before the gates swing open, silently. As he walks through, he catches the faint liquidy noise of hydraulics, presumably the motors beneath the gate. About 100 feet further, down a wide path through a few gardens, he comes to an ornate door, decorated with curlicues surrounding a large phrase: "_When the spark of talented minds is brought to the kindling of an excellent school environment, they will burn with a brilliant flame of hope._" As Makoto walks towards those doors, they swing open before him, and the piece of the door with the word hope stays hanging in the air.

'Now, this is interesting... So, there are a few possible hypotheses as to how it floats: air pressure's out, as I would feel something. As for alternative possibilities, a string and magnetism are the first to come to mind. Now to test them..."

Makoto reaches into his pocket, and pulls out two objects: a coin and a pencil. He moves the pencil under the floating word before releasing it, and it clatters to the floor. He does the same thing with the coin, and it flies upward, snapping into place on the word.

'Well, it is most likely magnetism, then. The coin floating falsifies it being a string, and the pencil not floating falsifies some method of general levitation.'

Makoto steps forward, a small grin forming on his face, and pulls the coin off of the word, grunting a little with the exertion. As he does so, another child runs forward from around a corner. This newcomer looks to be about 16, and is wearing an expensive suit with the lapel pin of Hope's Peak. As he gets close to Makoto, his pace slows to a sedate walk, and he begins speaking.

"My name is Sota. Hideki Sota, to be precise. And I am here to welcome you to Hope's Peak."

Makoto's eyes narrow slightly. Sota's voice, while not outwardly seeming overly unctuous or fake, has a brittle quality to it. It feels like it could shatter at any moment to reveal something deeper.

"So, Sota, have I passed the secondary entrance exam?"

Sota's eyes widen.

"You figured out what that was? Well done. I shall have to report this as well to the administration."

"Then, perhaps, tell them they should cover the metal hidden inside the door a little bit better. I caught sight of it and it directed my testing to places which might have otherwise taken a little longer to reach."

Sota nods with a twinkle in his eye.

"I shall be sure to let them know. Might I have your name and talent?"

"Certainly. My name is Makoto Naegi, and I am the SDHS Rationalist. Might I have your talent, Sota?"

"Mine? I am the Greeter. 76th class."

Naegi's eyes widen, and Sota chuckles.

"I must confess, that is...not what I was expecting."

"Why, nobody expects it. That is one of the reasons I'm so effective. Surely someone of your particular set of skills knows not to overgeneralize from a single piece of evidence."

Makoto laughs.

"Touche. Now, since you are the greeter, would you happen to know where I should be going at this time?"

"While there isn't anything scheduled for now, the other early students are congregating in the cafeteria."

Makoto nods.

"My thanks. Until we meet again, I wish you the best in future endeavors."

"And you on yours."

As Makoto walks away, he sees Sota return to his watching post around the corner from the door and manipulate a control panel, shutting the door.

'I must remember that people are not all they seem. While certain talents will leave physical signs, others will be difficult to spot. Here, more than anywhere, I must avoid unreasonable assumptions.'

As Makoto reaches the cafeteria, he hears from inside a clamor of conversation. He opens the door to find about 20 students sitting and chatting in assorted groups.

'Well, no better way to begin this than just to dive right in.'

A/N:Well, here's chapter one of what's likely to be a rather different companion story to LiDD. This is going to be different in almost every stylistic way, so I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you want in terms of update rate and such through review or PM-for now, this will be updating less frequently than LiDD, but hopefully not less than once every 2 weeks.

As for Naegi's parents' names, I did not think they were canon, so I picked my own.

Please review!


	2. Meetings

Chapter II: Meetings:

_*Start recording*_

_Well, Jin, he's here._

_I can see that. Has Sota reported back to you and the remaining members of the selection committee?_

_He has. The child figured out hope's secret rather easily. He also grasped its purpose._

_I am impressed. Though, given his talent, I suppose I should not be._

_He and Sota seemed to get along well. Perhaps we can use the Greeter as a useful information source._

_Do you think that is wise, Shoma? Would the boy react well if he found out he was being watched?_

_That is only a relevant fact if the boy finds out. And I, for one, trust Sota to be discreet._

_If you are certain, then I will trust you. What are our next moves beyond that?_

_We watch and wait, Jin. The time for action has yet to come._

_*End Recording*_

Makoto's eyes scan the walls of the room, searching for people not currently involved in conversation. Eventually, he catches sight of two people, a boy and a girl, standing in the back of the room and looking nervously around. They look very similar, both of average height with brown-blonde hair. The girl is wearing clothes which seem to shimmer in the light from the windows; even from across the room, Naegi can tell that they are extremely well made. The boy is wearing a leather jacket and what looked to be leather gloves with metal plates sewn on. Makoto's eyes widen slightly, and he approaches. As he comes close to the pair, their eyes flick up to his, almost at the same time.

"Hello, my name is Makoto Naegi."

"Hi, Makoto," the girl responds, "I'm Chinatsu Akiyama. And this," she motions to the boy, "this is Yousei, my brother. "

"Well met, Chinatsu. My apologies for interrupting your conversation, but I had a question for Yousei."

Yousei looks up, his expression becoming resigned.

"Is it about the gloves I'm wearing? Because you are the 4th person to ask today."

Naegi shrugs sheepishly.  
>"My apologies. However, in my defense, they are rather...unique. What are they?"<p>

"A necessary piece of my talent, of course. What else?"

Naegi takes a step closer, and now looks rather intrigued.

"Interesting. And what is that talent?"

"I am the SDHS Snake Charmer. These gloves have the wonderful property of not being pierced by snake fangs."

Naegi's eyes widen.

"Really? That's quite a unique talent."

Yousei smiles.

"That it is. What's yours?"

"Mine? Nothing so interesting. I am the SDHS rationalist."

Yousei laughs, while Chinatsu groans and puts her head in her hands. Naegi turns to her, eyes widening.

"What's wrong with that talent? There's clearly a story here."

"It's really nothing much," Chinatsu responds reluctantly, "Its just that I've lived 15 years of my life with a rationalist, and I'd prefer not to spend the next 4 with another."

"By which she means me." Yousei cut in, " And I, for one, am excited to meet someone else who fits that designation."

"As am I, " Naegi responds, "On another topic, Chinatsu, what's your talent?"

Chinatsu smiles and stands up, as the fabric of her clothing shimmers and changes color.

"I'm the SDHS Weaver. Can't you tell?"

"That does make sense. Are you two siblings?"

Both Chinatsu and Yousei nod.

"Twins, actually," Chinatsu responds, "78th class. How about you?"

"I am in the 78th as well. If the remainder of our class is as interesting as you two, this is certain to be an enjoyable year."

"Thanks," Chinatsu replies.

Suddenly, a voice begins to play over the PA system on the wall.

"**All students: the orientation assembly will be beginning in 5 minutes. Please immediately head to the gymnasium for orientation."**

The screens shut off, and Naegi turns back to the Akiyamas.

"Well, it seems it is time for the year to begin. We shall speak more later?"

They nod, and Naegi walks away, joining the group of students who are filing into the gymnasium. After entering, the group spreads out, and students begin to fill the bleachers. Naegi searches briefly for an open spot before finding one next to a purple-haired girl who looked about his age. As he sits down next to her, he notices that her gloved fists are clenched. However, her expression is calm and emotionless.

'Strange. She clearly seems to be concealing emotion, but why? Well, there's no better way to find out than through conversation.'

Kirigiri glances up from her seat as a male sits down next to her. He seems to be about her age, but she can't quite tell. He has reasonably good posture, but his clothing blocks her from recovering much evidence in that area. As he sits down, his eyes flick to her gloves and briefly widen. That, combined with his features, mean that this boy must be...

Makoto sees the girl briefly look him over before she begins to speak with a soft, clear voice.

"Hello, Makoto Naegi. Welcome to Hope's Peak."

"Impressive," he responds, his voice one of measured surprise, "Now, since you seem to have found my name so easily by observing me, might I have yours in exchange?"

"I am Kirigiri. Kyouko Kirigiri."

"Any relation?" Naegi asks curiously.

Her eyes narrow.

"Yes. He is my father," she responds, her voice now showing signs of suppressed anger, "Do not ask any more questions about him."

"I shall not," Naegi responds, now slightly perturbed. "Might I ask what your talent is?"

"Certainly," she replies, "I am the SDHS Detective. And you are the Rationalist."

Naegi inclines his head.

"That is correct. I was about to ask how you knew who I was, but you've made that rather obvious. Did you research every student before coming here?"

"That information isn't something I am inclined to give away."

"Then I shall figure out another way. Which class are you in?"

"78th, as are you."

"Yes, yes, I get it, you know a lot about me," Naegi replies exasperatedly, "What does this prove?"

"That you can't deal with an imbalance in knowledge that isn't tilted towards you," Kirigiri responds, her expression now slightly mirthful, "and that you aren't great at detecting directed conversation."

Naegi gapes briefly, and then laughs.

"I apologize for underestimating you, Kirigiri. I shall avoid doing so in the future."

Kirigiri smiles slightly.

"Ensure that you do. Many criminals throughout Tokyo and the peninsula can attest to the consequences of underestimating a Kirigiri."

"I can imagine."

Before Kirigiri could respond, the lights in the gymnasium dim, and the headmaster steps out to the podium set up at the front. As he approaches the microphone, the room quiets gradually. He stands at the front until the room becomes silent, and then begins to speak, his voice jovial.

"Welcome, students! Now, I'm sure you all want to get set up as fast as possible, so I'll keep this brief. All new students should pick up an electroID at the table in the back, along with an orientation booklet. As for your room assignments, you know the drill: 1st years are on the ground floor, everyone else is upstairs. Find the rooms with your names on them. Without further ado, I welcome you to the 75th year of Hope's Peak!"

A/N: Here's the next chapter, and the second to last chapter before the plot becomes more structured and arc-y. The three OCs in this chapter(Shoma and the Akiyamas) are my own conception, though the talent ideas for the Akiyamas come from a friend of mine(FFN name: Lavender Dove). I'm not sure when the next chapter of this will be out, though it'll probably be some time next week.

Please review!


	3. Teacher

Chapter 3: Teacher

_*Start recording*_

_The new students seem to be acclimating well. _

_That is true. However, there does exist one more concern._

_And what is that?_

_Who is to teach them. This is the most spectacular crop of students since the 44th class. We cannot allow them to go to waste._

_I quite agree. Which is why I had planned to instruct them._

_Shoma?! Are you certain? But you have not instructed a class since..._

_Since the 44th, yes. Please, trust me to know what must be done. I will not allow this class to go the way of those students. They are our last hope._

_So be it. Let the light of hope..._

_...blaze into a utopic inferno._

_*End recording*_

About a half hour after orientation, Makoto walks into classroom A, still about 10 minutes early for the first of his classes. Having spent the prior 30 minutes unpacking and exploring, he feels relatively prepared for whatever could be coming. However, given that this was the first class, it wouldn't hurt to continue preparing. After all, one only had one good chance to make a first impression. And so, he continues to observe and mark down details about the room, searching for any hints of what was coming. As he does so, a tall black-haired man steps out from behind a curtain. The man seems to move with a controlled grace, every step carefully chosen and directed. Even his clothing, a black suit and silver tie, seems to radiate a threatening aura. And his voice, dry, calm and cold, merely expands his presence.

"Observing your surroundings to get a leg up on the competition? You've clearly got the right idea." The man smiles slightly at Naegi.

"Why, of course," Naegi replies with a smirk, "How else am I meant to excel?"

The man's slight smile becomes a predatory grin.

"I said you had the right idea. Excelling requires a far, far better implementation of that idea. You are Makoto Naegi?"

The youth nods in response, and the man inclines his head before sitting down at the desk at the front of the room. Makoto looks at the man for a few more seconds, before the man motions to the rest of the room.

"Go on, keep examining. If you truly wish to win, you can't allow things such as this to distract you. I promise, once the class truly begins, your curiosity about me will be satisfied."

Naegi nods, and continues looking around at the room. And, more particularly, the bewildering number and assortment of tools and items at the back. Everything from well maintained katanas to an ivory chess set seems to be lined against the back wall. A few minutes later, the remaining students file in and take their seats, and the man stands, motioning for Naegi to sit. He does so, and the man stands and begins to speak in a calm tone.

"Hello, 78th class. I will be your teacher for the duration of your time at this academy. Now, before I introduce myself, I'd like to get a few things out of the way. Would each student stand up and say their name and talent?"

First, an attractive black haired girl of average height stands up confidently.

"I'm Sayaka Maizono! SDHS Idol!"

Next, a taller, slightly fitter black haired girl rises gracefully.

"I am Mukuro Ikusaba. SDHS Mercenary."

After her, a tallish pink haired boy gets up, grinning childishly.

"Kazuichi Soda. SDHS Mechanic, at your service."

*Timeskip containing many other characters from Danganronpa 1 and 2 because there really wasn't much of a reason to include them explicitly. *

After Sonia Nevermind, the SDHS princess, takes her seat gracefully, the Akayamas stand up.

Chinatsu motions to herself. "I'm Chinatsu Akiyama, the SDHS Weaver. And he-"

Yousei cuts her off. "I can introduce myself, 'Natsu! I'm Yousei Akiyama, SDHS Snake Charmer."

After they sit down, Makoto stands and introduces himself.

"And lastly, I am Makoto Naegi. SDHS Rationalist."

Once Naegi returns to his seat, the man at the desk rises.

"Pleased to meet you all. Now, my name is Ryusei Shoma. As I do not currently attend this school, I have no specifically assigned talent. Now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, it's time for another slight administrative matter. Everything you have ever been told about this school is a lie."

He is met with a classroom full of confused eyes and a few people who seemed thoughtful or understanding. He marks down those who seem to understand as students to be watched. Unsurprisingly, that group contains the rationalist, the detective, and the snake charmer. Surprisingly, it contains the mercenary, and he makes a note to watch Ikusaba in future. After marking the results of this test, he continues speaking.

"Now, I realize this may be confusing for some of you, so I shall be more precise. Every piece of promotional material the school put out was faked. Every picture? Staged. Every testimonial? Written by handpicked students and heavily censored. Everything you have ever seen or researched about this academy was meant to provide you with the illusion that this was merely an illustrious school."

Akane Owari cuts in confusedly.

"If it isn't a school, then what else is it?"

"A training facility," Shoma responds, voice now a good deal colder, "where we will forge you into the next lights of hope. In order to facilitate this, I have devised two simple goals for you to follow for the next 4 years. Goal 1 is simple, comparatively speaking: outperform your classmates. This goal can be accomplished merely by honing your own talents. Goal 2 will be extremely difficult for all of you, and will require you to work as a unit: outperform me."

Naegi looks at the man with a more evaluating gaze. They needed to outperform him? That didn't seem incredibly impossible... Shoma notices his gaze and smiles darkly.

"Oh, and before I forget to tell you, here is your first lesson: I will outplay you. I will outfight you. I will outthink you. If you test me, you will not win. Would anyone like to test that?"

Sakura Oogami stands up rapidly, body already settling into a fighting stance.

"I would be honored to face another in a warrior's challenge. However, Shoma, I warn that I am not so easily felled."

Shoma backs up to one side of the room, and beckons Sakura forward.

"Nor am I, Oogami."

Sakura walks to the front of the classroom, and immediately lashes out at Shoma, who quickly parries the blow. Soon, they are a blur of strikes and blocks, which soon resolves into Shoma calmly standing atop a pinned Oogami.

"How?" she asked, "Your left arm was weak!"

"No, my left arm was moving in a way which made it seem like I was attempting to disguise weakness. Learn to interpret the evidence given you based on the caliber of the person you fight!"

He moved off of her, and she returned to her seat, shoulders slumped.

As she sat, he turned to the rest of us.

"I could likely destroy any one of you in your own chosen arts with the same ease. It is for this reason that you will need to form groups to defeat me. Choose groups however you wish, only remember this: groups must be 7 or less."

He falls silent, and the room erupts into movement, students running back and forth forming groups. In the back corner of the room, the Akiyamas and Kirigiri approach Naegi. He turns to them.

"I accept your requests to form a group. However, we shall need to cover more skill areas."

Yousei nods.

"We are lacking in martial fields. Also, it would be helpful to have someone with advanced engineering skills."

Kyouko stands up, peering around the room, before she focuses in on someone.

"I shall attempt to recruit Ikusaba. Naegi, Yousei, one of you should go find Fujisaki."

They nod, and after a brief whispered conversation, Yousei stands up and moves away. After they leave, Chinatsu turns to Naegi with a confused look on her face.

"Ok, I understand why everyone else makes sense in this group. But why me? What do I offer?"

Naegi turns to her and regards her seriously.

"A few things: first, I honestly have no idea what Shoma is planning to do with us. Any talent could be useful. Second, like your brother, I would assume you have hidden depths. Third, if you can weave that well, it shouldn't be much of a stretch for you to make, say, camouflaged garments or something similar. Does that answer the question?"

Chinatsu nods, satisfied. A few seconds later, Yousei and Fujisaki return. When Naegi asks Fujisaki about her participation, the mousy girl just nods, not trusting her own voice. A few seconds later, Kirigiri walks up to the group with Ikusaba following close behind. Once they return, Naegi addresses the group as a whole. There's no better time to say what's on his mind.

"Now, if we are to be a team, we need a name, as it were. Given our skill sets, I suggest something simple. Something that indicates that when we strike, the attack is quick, surgical, and impossible to predict."

After a few seconds, Ikusaba speaks.

"Then let us be known as...the scalpel."

The remainder of the group nods. A few seconds later, Shoma speaks from the front of the classroom.

"All of you seem to have found compatriots. Excellent. The first true test of your potential as units will be at 6 am tomorrow. That gives you 14 hours. Use them well. Any final questions?"

As the other groups begin to file out, Naegi pipes up.

"Yes. Why all of this?"

Shoma turns toward him, his expression now more intense than ever.

"Look at the world around you. It is weak, ineffectual, disunified, and led by the worst of leaders. It is in desperate need of a new flame. This academy exists to light that flame. To kindle the fire of hope."

End of Prologue

A/N: And this marks the last chapter in the introductory sequence. The next chapter(which will hopefully be out sometime this week, I love winter break) will take place after a large timeskip and mark the beginning of the story proper.

About changes to the school: Yeah, there's a reason I didn't mark this as a single point of divergence. Although I suppose it technically could be...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Please review(or leave a fav or follow, if you are so inclined)!


End file.
